Kent Home News: Heat Pump VAT Returns to 5% in April 2027

Two weeks of home improvement news for Kent homeowners, and most of it came out of the Budget on 28 October. The 0% VAT rate on heat pumps, solar panels and insulation now has a firm end date, the heat pump grant had its busiest month yet, householder planning decisions change from 31 October, and a well-known fireclay sink maker is leaving the UK market.

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Zero VAT on heat pumps, solar and insulation ends on 31 March 2027

The Budget document confirms the government will “revert to the reduced rate on energy saving materials (ESMs) as planned”. Energy-saving materials installed in homes, which include heat pumps, solar panels and insulation, carry 0% VAT until the end of March 2027, and the 5% reduced rate applies from 1 April 2027. Heat batteries are being added to the list of qualifying materials from the same date.

The same document cuts £1 billion of capital grant from the Warm Homes Plan, while keeping the Boiler Upgrade Scheme at £400 million in 2027-28 and rising broadly in line with inflation after that. It also says the government has launched a Warm Homes Loan Scheme for heat pumps and other clean heating.

Why it matters: 5% on a £10,000 installation is £500. If you are weighing up a heat pump, solar or a loft and wall insulation job for 2027, ask your installer when the work will be invoiced and completed, because the date of supply decides which rate applies. The grant for heat pumps is not going away. Source: HM Treasury, Budget 2026, 28 October 2026.

Heating oil tariffs suspended from 26 November

The Budget suspends import tariffs on kerosene heating oil from 26 November 2026 until 31 December 2028, to support households that rely on oil to heat their homes. For everyone else, the 0% VAT rate on household electricity is extended to July 2027, which the Treasury expects to take around £50 off the annual price cap in April 2027. A £100 Household Energy Payment will be paid from January 2027 to households in England in council tax bands A to D, and the government plans to abolish gas standing charges.

Why it matters: oil-heated homes in rural Kent are the ones that gain directly from the tariff move, and they are also the homes that can claim the larger £9,000 heat pump grant (see below). The Treasury did not put a pence-per-litre figure on the tariff suspension, so treat any quoted saving with care. Source: HM Treasury, Budget 2026.

Heat pump grant applications hit a record 9,738 in September

Boiler Upgrade Scheme figures published on 29 October show 9,738 voucher applications in September 2026, 30% more than August and 138% more than September 2025. It was the highest monthly total since the scheme opened in May 2022, and September was also a record for vouchers issued and grants paid. Since July, installers can claim a £9,000 grant for off-gas-grid homes heated by oil or LPG; 8,107 applications for it came in from July to September, 32% of the quarter’s total.

The median cost of an air source heat pump installed under the scheme in July to September was £12,826, including the grant. The South East has had more grants paid than any other region, 19,069 or 20% of the total. In Kent, Sevenoaks (364 heat pump grants paid since May 2022), Ashford (350), Maidstone (327) and Tunbridge Wells (325) lead the county.

Why it matters: record demand means installers’ diaries are filling. If you want a heat pump fitted before the VAT change, book the survey now rather than in the new year. Our list of heat pump installers in Kent explains what to check. Source: DESNZ, Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics: September 2026.

Straightforward householder planning applications go to officers from 31 October

From Saturday 31 October, a new National Scheme of Delegation means straightforward planning applications are decided by planning officers instead of waiting for a committee slot. The government says householder applications, such as extensions, loft conversions and conservatories, make up nearly 70% of all applications. It is also expanding PlanAssist, an AI tool built with Google DeepMind and others, from a trial in Camden, Barnet and Dorset to 15 councils for 12 months. In early testing it halved processing times for routine householder applications from eight weeks to four. The government has not said which 15 councils are in the next phase.

Why it matters: a householder application that would once have been called in to committee should now be decided by an officer, which removes one common source of delay. It does not change what needs permission, and it does not change the rules an officer applies. Source: MHCLG, 30 October 2026.

Shaws of Darwen sinks: no new UK orders after 31 October

Shaws of Darwen, the fireclay sink maker, has confirmed it is leaving the UK market. Trade magazine kbbreview reported on 27 October that Shaws will accept UK and EU orders only until 31 October and will stop making products at its UK factory by the end of June 2027. Orders placed before the cut-off will be filled subject to stock. The price rises of up to 300% it had announced for November no longer apply. Its parent company, Fortune Brands Innovations, says the decision affects Shaws only, not its other brands such as Perrin & Rowe, Victoria + Albert and Aqualisa.

Why it matters: if your kitchen or utility room plan specifies a Shaws sink and the order has not gone in, ask your kitchen company today. If it misses the cut-off, choose the replacement sink before the base units are made, because fireclay sinks vary in size and the cabinet is built around them. Source: kbbreview, 27 October 2026.

Kent Home News: Heat Pump VAT Returns to 5% in April 2027

Zero VAT on heat pumps, solar and insulation ends on 31 March 2027

Heating oil tariffs suspended from 26 November

Heat pump grant applications hit a record 9,738 in September

Straightforward householder planning applications go to officers from 31 October

Shaws of Darwen sinks: no new UK orders after 31 October

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